‘Lost but not forgotten’: Nine Line CEO on honoring fallen soldiers’ families

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - As Veterans Day approaches, Nine Line Apparel CEO Tyler Merritt said his commitment to serving did not end when he took off the uniform. Merritt, a veteran, said that mission is personal.

From a garage to a Savannah headquarters

Merritt said he was stationed in Savannah in 2006.

“I got stationed here in 2006, and one of my first jobs was taking over merchandising, morale, and warfare. Morale and spirit gear for our unit. And I found myself becoming the T-shirt guy as a side job from being a platoon leader in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment,” Merritt said.

In 2012, he started Nine Line Apparel in his garage, making one shirt at a time. Nine Line Apparel is now a multimillion-dollar company headquartered in Savannah with multiple locations across the country.

Support for homeless veterans

“Savannah has given so much to us. So giving back to the community in terms of helping our homeless veteran population became a calling for us. So over the last several years, we’ve built a tiny home village here in Savannah, Georgia. We have an aquaponic center to help feed the homeless,” Merritt said.

Support for families of fallen soldiers

Merritt said the company’s philanthropy also includes support for an organization that helps the families of fallen soldiers. He said it hits close to home.

“There’s individuals that I’ve served with that are no longer with us. And to see the meaningful impact that these charities that we support do for their families, specifically with the Night Stalker Foundation, you know, it continues to make the hair raise on my arm. You know, they’re lost but not forgotten and their families know that,” Merritt said.

Merritt said Nine Line also donates hoodies to veteran charities through its buy-one, give-one initiative each Veterans Day.